Trav's Thoughts

It's said that March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.  I say ppppppffffffffftttttt to that!

It has done nothing but rain since the middle of December and frankly I've had enough.  I can typically get through the wet season, but we've had record wet here in the Pacific Northwest and I just want to be dry for awhile.  We've seen the dang lion.  Let's have some lamb!

I'm fortunate that my life right now is tame enough that I can spare the energy to whine about the weather.  My heart goes out to the families of the victims of the terror attacks in Brussels.

Peace.

OK, let's give this a try.  I'm pretty rusty, but I think I remember how to do it.

Live from Hollywood!

Hehe.  That felt good.

Welcome to Season 22.  We're wearing our fru fru finery.  We've had our cheese and merlot and CAKE.  And I'm ready to tell you all about the Dancing.

Are you ready?

I think I am.  Here we go!

Kim Fields and Sasha Farber dance Cha Cha Cha.  Kim says best case for week one is that she "don't hurt nuthin".  I remember Ms Fields from Facts of Life.  Lady got groove.  Plus she's an actor so she's all about the performance.  She and Sasha have great chemistry together.  The choreography was basic, but there was plenty of content for the first week.  Kim handled what she was given very well.  She has great musicality and timing.  She does need a little more hip action, but she danced with great energy.  She'll have to work on her footwork and relax her shoulders to get her hips moving.  I enjoyed the performance, and that's as much about her dancing as it is about the fact that she's Tootie!  Judges say 7,6,7 for a total of 20.

Paige VanZant and Mark Ballas dance Foxtrot.  She's an MMC fighter and it may be impolitic to say it, but it will be interesting to see how she transfers her athletic power into elegance and grace.  Oh, no problem there.  I don't watch fighting so I really had no idea who she was or how she was going to react.  She was outstanding.  She had plenty of elegance and grace, and beyond that she had presentation and confidence.  She's a lady gang.  That shouldn't surprise me, and I apologize that it does.  I shouldn't stereotype her because she fights.  I really enjoyed that performance.  She had musicality and her lines were really nice.  She extended through the movements.  There is so much potential there.  I thought she was very confident, and Mark is going to have a great time teaching her.  Judges say 7s across for a total of 21.

Doug Flutie and Karina Smirnoff dance Foxtrot.  OK.  Equal impolitic comment...let's see if Doug can translate his athletic power into elegance and grace.  It's a plus that he gets to start with a ballroom style in the first week.  He has very little rhythm and almost no musicality or timing.  But that's OK.  He embraced the opportunity and gave it his all.  He lost his balance a bit through the twirls and that messed with his steps, but other than that he got it all in and made it through the dance.  Dancing certainly isn't natural to him, and some of his movement is awkward.  He smiled throughout the performance and Karina gave him good choreography that he could handle.  Judges say 5s across for a total of 15.  That's OK.  I suspect he'll have a fan base that should get votes and potentially he could improve.

Jodie Sweetin and Keo Motsepe dance Tango.  Her biggest problem may be getting out of her own head and not putting too much pressure on herself to do well.  She does have some dance background, and talk about a built in fan base.  I figure she'll not only be an early favorite because of her dancing, but she'll have the Full House crowd poised to vote.  Oh good for Keo.  He has a partner this season and he can really stretch with his choreography and performance to really make her look good.  That was really strong, just as I suspected it might be.  There definitely are some areas to work on, like posture and head position and control.  They were just a little exuberant, which made the dance seem hectic in spots, although I did like the attitude and attack.  I think these two could settle in quite nicely.  Judges say 7,6,7 for a total of 20.  Hmmmm...I would have expected 7s across for that performance.

Geraldo Rivera and Edyta Sliwinska dance Cha Cha Cha.  This could be awkward.  And it was.  Although he his 72 years old.  And he does have a sense of humor about himself, opening the dance with a reference to Al Capone's vault.  But let's face it, there was no real dancing in that routine.  He just doesn't have any natural rhythm.  He tried and he had fun, which might be the best thing I can say.  There just isn't much else.  It's kind of a rotten thing to do to Edyta on her first season back after taking so much time away from the show, but someone had to get the guy who can't dance a lick.  Fortunately we'll get to see plenty of Edyta during the pro routines with the dance troupe.  And yes, pun was intended because we always get to see plenty of Edyta.  She is Queen of Tiny Costumes!  Judges say 5,4,4 for a total of 13.  Ouch.

Marla Maples and Tony Dovolani dance Quickstep.  Tough dance to begin the competition.  I think Tony just might have himself a pretty good partner for this season.  She has lovely long lines and a very playful presentation.  There was a moment where it looked like Tony was dragging her across the floor, but she managed to hang on and keep her feet under her.  I thought she kept her poise.  Her posture was pretty good.  Did I happen to mention that she has lovely long LEGSSES?  I didn't?  Well she doesss, preciousss, yes she doesss.  I love Tony's choreography and I can tell that he enjoys her.  She was elegant even as she lost frame and timing a couple of times.  Very solid performance.  Judges say 7s across for a total of 21.

Wanya Morris and Lindsay Arnold dance Cha Cha Cha.  Love it.  Boys II Men was actually my introduction to hip hop music.  I like that Lindsay made her choreography around Wanya's personality.  And man did he dance it.  There could have been a little more Cha Cha Cha content and a little less hip hop, but the energy in the room red lined.  There's no question he has musicality and excellent timing.  Plus he's got swag.  I think he brings a lot of what Alphonso brought a couple of season ago.  Wanya will have a huge fan base that should pick up the phone, and he'll deserve those votes.  The man has natural rhythm and takes choreography really well.  It will be interesting to see how he controls that swag and turns it into the elegance and grace needed for the ballroom styles.  I'm thinking he'll do just fine.  Judges say 8,7,8 for a total of 23.  Wow.

Ginger Zee and Val Chmerkovskiy dance Jive.  Now that was fun.  I like that Val recognizes what he can give his partner each week, and he knew that she could handle just a little more difficulty in his choreography.  He won't hold back on degree of difficulty once he recognizes potential.  She managed most of it, but there were just a couple of times when she wasn't confident with her steps.  Other than that, she had so much chemistry with the audience.  We could see how much fun she was having.  She threw herself into the dance and brought the rest of us in with her.  I think one thing she'll get better at is extending through each movement with her legs and her arms.  That's going to come with confidence and I don't think it will take her very long to build that confidence.  I loved that performance.  Judges say 8,7,8 for a total of 23.  Wow again.

Mischa Barton and Artem Chigyintsev dance Tango.  Sometimes the celebrities think they know what they are getting into, but realize pretty quickly once rehearsals start that it's way more than they expected.  Sometimes they rise to the challenge, and other times they just don't have what it takes.  I think Mischa is one of those who will ultimately thrive if she stays in the competition long enough.  Her performance was very reserved, and I think that comes from lack of confidence.  She's going to have to work on her posture because she's really leaned over.  It was almost like her upper body wasn't connected to her hips and legs.  She was certainly awkward and I don't think she has a natural rhythm or musicality.  I think she has the potential to get there, but she'll have to commit to it and bring more energy to her performance.  And trust Artem.  Judges say 5,5,6 for a total of 16.  Could have been worse.

Nyle DiMarco and Peta Murgatroyd dance Cha Cha Cha.  I had no idea he was deaf.  It doesn't matter.  Perhaps someone can tell me how a person who can't hear anything at all can have natural rhythm, musicality, and timing.  Wow.  I absolutely loved that performance.  Peta's choreography was outstanding, and Nyle followed it the whole way.  He never missed a step.  He was on time throughout.  He does have some things to work on such as footwork and extensions through his arms and hands and fingers.  But I have to say that even for a celebrity who can hear, that was an outstanding performance.  He danced with energy and so much personality.  He and Peta have a wonderful chemistry together.  Judges say 8,7,8 for a total of 23.

Antonio Brown and Sharna Burgess dance Quickstep.  Oh you just know Antonio wanted a Latin dance to start.  But he'll have to demonstrate elegance, grace, and control right off the line.  I liked his musicality and his energy.  You could tell he was having a great time with the dance.  I thought he did a fine job on some of the quick footwork, although for the most part I didn't think he danced as cleanly as he should.  He has the same issue that so many football players have...keeping his upper body from leaning forward and controlling a tendency to be a little hectic.  Football is about attack, but dance is about knowing when to pull back and find the moments between the phrases.  Quickstep isn't an easy dance to start with, but he did a credible job.  I love his personality.  Judges say 8,6,7 for a total of 21.  The 8 is too high, so the 6 balances that out.

Von Miller and Witney Carson dance Foxtrot.  Congrats to Witney on her recent marriage!  Now with Von, I think starting with a ballroom style actually was good for him.  I actually expected him to be light on his feet.  He's a big man, but as linebacker he has great footwork.  I though he did a good job keeping his shoulders back and down, which couldn't have been easy because Witney is so small compared to him.  A natural tendency would have been to lean down toward her.  So that's an early point in his favor if he doesn't have to break a habit to lean.  I thought he had a wonderful ease in his movement.  I think he has tremendous presence, and it was great to see him show control throughout the dance.  I'm very happy with this performance.  Judges say 8,6,7 for a total of 21.  The 8 was high again, but again the 6 balanced it out.

Here's our leader board after opening night:

23 Ginger and Val
23 Wanya and Lindsay
23 Nyle and Peta
21 Paige and Mark
21 Marla and Tony
21 Antonio and Sharna
21 Von and Witney
20 Jodie and Keo
20 Kim and Sasha
16 Mischa and Artem
15 Doug and Karina
13 Geraldo and Edyta

I dig this cast gang.  There's a lot of personality, a lot of energy, and a lot of potential.

Hey, that was kind of fun.  Reading back through for my edits, I can definitely tell I'm rusty.  I'll have to work it out and get back into review and recap shape.

Tune in next week for a Latin night and our first elimination.

Hokey smokes Bulwinkle!  What a wild ride so far.

So far.  The tough thing for all those double digits that won on Thursday and Friday is to carry the momentum through the round of 32 on Saturday and Sunday.  The favored seeds are forewarned now.  Typically the DDs that have an opportunity to advance to the round of 16 are those that can rebound effectively, play solid defense, stay out of foul trouble, minimize turnovers, and don't have an over-reliance on the 3-point shot.  It also helps to get off to a good start.

Of course, the same can be said for the favored seeds in order to avoid becoming the next upset victim.

On Saturday, the only double digit to get everything right was 11 seed Gonzaga.  The Bulldogs simply bulldozed 3 seed Utah to advance to the round of 16.  Gonzaga executed an outstanding defensive game plan in addition to overwhelming Utah in every offensive category.  It wasn't even close.  I followed the Zags throughout the season, and this was the best effort game I've seen from them.  They might be an 11 seed, but if this team continues to play with this kind of effort and efficiency, they could be very dangerous on Friday.

The only other upset on the day was 5 seed Indiana over 4 seed Kentucky.  YAY!

Although Saturday was tame in terms of upsets, Sunday did bring another double digit seed into the round of 16.  Of course, it was inevitable since there was a DD match up between 10 seed Syracuse and 15 seed Middle Tennessee.  But it's not an upset, since the favored seed survived.  The Orange will meet 11 seed Gonzaga in another double digit match up.

Wisconsin is no double digit, but the 7 seed Badgers hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to upset 2 seed Xavier.  And that's our 16th and final upset of the first weekend.

Whew!

Lots of chaos.  Although, take a look at the West Region.  If you went with all the favorites, you're perfect there.  And if you picked all of the 1 seeds to go to the Final Four, you've still got a chance to win your office bracket.

• South Region features 5 Maryland vs 1 Kansas and 3 Miami vs 2 Villanova
• West Region features 4 Duke vs 1 Oregon and 2 Oklahoma vs 3 Texas A&M
• East Region features 5 Indiana vs 1 North Carolina and 7 Wisconsin vs 6 Notre Dame
• Midwest Region features 4 Iowa State vs 1 Virginia and 11 Gonzaga vs 10 Syracuse

We've had upsets, buzzer beaters, fantastic comebacks, and overtimes.  I've still got Duke, Indiana, Notre Dame, and Gonzaga to follow into the round of 16, none of which is considered a favorite to win the tournament.  I'm just enjoying each of them for as long as they can stay in, and I can take any of them going out now without crushing disappointment.

And tonight is Dancing!

Life is good.

The round of 64 has brought its usual mayhem, with double digit seeds taking out favorites and busting brackets across the country.  

I was happy all day today because the cast for Season 22 of Dancing with the Stars was officially announced this morning.  Season 22 premiers on ABC, 21 March.

We'll miss Derek, but I love that Edyta is back.  And Sasha gets out of the lobster costume.  Keo seems to have a partner who could get him past the second week.  In fact, overall it's an excellent set of pros so we'll see if our celebrities are up to the challenge.

I might even be tempted to recap a little bit.

Maybe.

We'll see.

We wondersss preciousss, yes, we doesss.  Like...

...after years of billing this glorious week of college basketball leading up to Selection Sunday, when conference tournaments are played and champions are crowned, as Championship Week, why ESPN has decided that the title needs to be shortened to text-speak or twitter length.  Now they call it Champ Week.  Really?  Sixteen letters and a space is too long now?

...why can't we say Application and Appetizer anymore?  Why must the abbreviated App stand for both?  I'm in a restaurant and I want food, not another useless data stealing doohickey on my freakin' phone!

...if Mimi will understand that I am trying to comment on her posts as I ease myself back into this blogging business, but her blog is conspiring against me.  I have to read in Feedly because Mimi Writes won't load properly to let me read and comment!  It's the only blog giving me problems like this.  I did finally get lucky with one essay and quickly got my comment posted... oops!  Now she definitely won't believe me when I blame her blog for not letting me comment.

...if thisss time we canss successssfully sssusstain our bloggy interessst, yesss preciousss, we wondersss.

Yeah, gonna give it another go.  I feel a need to communicate again.

Carry on.

Pam and I are watching Premier League soccer, which we enjoy on Sunday mornings with our coffee and blueberry bagels or donuts.  While waiting for the toaster...

What?  No, we're not putting donuts in the toaster.  This morning it's blueberry bagels.

...we hear this fantastic phrase to describe a significant points lead in the standings over a rival.

Serenity of Safety.

Isn't that great?  I don't often hear many American commentators turn phrases like that.

Carry on.

It has been widely reported that Edyta Sliwinska will return to Dancing with the Stars for Season 22, which premiers 21 March.  The full cast will be announced on 8 March.

We thankss DWTS for this gift, preciousss, yes we does.

Carry on.

It.  Is.  Mine.

Pam and I spent Thanksgiving week and the week following with the folks.  While we were doing some holiday decorating, we started talking about holidays past and Mom said I could finally have it.

I have described this ornament several times. Here is the full story.

When I was a boy, before we moved away from the San Francisco Bay Area, we spent the weekend after Thanksgiving and most December weekends at my grandmother's house.

I have so many incredible memories from those years.  Whether she got a real tree or an artificial one...and she would do either depending on her holiday mood, and enjoy both...she decorated it exactly the same way.  She had a blueprint in her head of how the lights should go, and where every ornament should hang, and which side should face the street to be seen through the living room window.

And she would decorate her tree by laying it on the floor.  See, she was about four and a half feet tall.  It was easier for her to lay the tree down, get it perfect, then hoist it up on the table in front of the window.  When my sister and I were old enough, our job was to hand her the ornaments in the order she called for them, from the boxes she had carefully laid out on the sofa.

Except for one ornament. 

The special job, the most sacred honor, was the hanging of the little plastic ornament with the pinwheel thingy.  It had to go on the exact branch in the exact spot, not only because that was Gram's blueprint, but so it could catch the breeze from the heater vent and spin. 

I loved to sit and watch that ornament.  I'm told it caught my eye when I was a toddler.  I'm told I would stand or sit for hours watching it.  My little hand would reach for it at first, catching the admonition to look but don't touch.  

When the heater vent stopped, I would reach my hand out to make it spin again.  I would be told again not to touch, and then Mom or Gram would come and blow on it.  I'm told I took such delight that I learned how to blow on the ornament and make it spin.

I never got to touch that ornament, and it became so special to me.  It became the last ornament to go on the tree, and was not hung while the tree lay on the floor.  Gram made a special show of hanging it.  And I looked forward to it every year...never touching.

I finally got to hang that ornament when I was 8.  I remember it clearly.  The tree decorating ritual progressed as usual.  When it was standing majestically on the table in front of the window, Gram brought out the ornament.  She walked to the tree as I took my place where I could see it spinning for the first time. Gram motioned me over and said I was old enough now.  She handed the ornament to me.  She didn't need to point to the branch.  I knew where it went.  

The ornament felt so light in my hands.  It was just simple plastic with a very light bit of aluminum inside.  But it was so much more than that to me.  Perhaps I'm projecting onto the memory.  But I remember the fascination with that ornament so vividly.  I remember Mom and Gram telling me not to touch.  I remember it always being the last ornament to be hung on the tree.

It was special.

I remember I took the ornament from Gram and held it carefully by its hook, with my other hand beneath it in case it slipped.  I dropped cups and utensils all the time, but there would be no dropping of this special bit of plastic.

I took it to the branch, shielding it from the heater vent that was already blowing warm air.  I didn't want the ornament to start spinning until it was properly hung.  I held the branch steady and placed the hook securely, then I let it go.  I didn't move until I looked at Gram and she gave the nod that the ornament was in the right place.

Then I moved away from the vent into my spot so I could watch it start spinning.  

I don't know what was my happiest holiday, but I do know that this is one of the happiest memories of my life.

Now, finally, the ornament is mine for my tree.

Welcome to the 12th Blog Blast for Peace and my 11th participation.

No, I did not give you 30 Days of Peace Quotes.  No, I did not post my 100 Reasons to Blog for Peace yesterday on the Eve of Blog Blast.  No, I haven't done anything in this space that I intended to do in the last 10 months.

My peace was derailed almost from the beginning of 2015.  Nothing has come easy.  The simplest tasks have been ridiculously complicated.  It's been almost comical, but the relief in laughter has been slow in coming.

Blog Blast founder Mimi Lennox has set a theme of Peace and Love for this 2015 launch.  My Peace Post is about Challenge, Struggle, and Opportunity.  That's been my year.  But if you look closely, you'll find Mimi's theme in my year.  She does have a knack.  Even when I have a thing to relate, even if I think that thing is outside the story Mimi wants from me, somehow she yanks me underneath the umbrella of this movement and my message for Blog Blast becomes exactly what she wants.

Uncanny, that woman is.  I haven't been in contact much with Mimi since this blog went dark.  Yet her theme trumped my own.  I'm ok with that.


Details aren't important.  Suffice to say that my challenge in 2015, indeed my and Pam's challenge, has been overcoming repeated illness, plus the stuff and nonsense that comes with lousy health.  We have both fought one illness after another since January.  We lost weight.  We became reclusive.  We begged off social engagements.  We fell behind at work, ran ourselves ragged trying to catch up, then missed more time because we didn't get enough rest and caught the dang bugs again.

Rinse and repeat.

We simply could not string enough time together when one or the other or both of us felt well.  We gradually surrendered to the lethargy of not feeling well, which led to a completely overwhelming negativity. 

Pam is an innately positive person.  She can find a bright side to any situation.  I work at being that kind of person, and I've gotten to the point where I usually can find the positive in just about anything, almost without thinking too hard.

2015 knocked us both down, put its boot on our throats, and leaned in for the crush.


It is a hard thing when you can't pick your partner up.  How do you say something to your partner to cheer them, when your focus is gradually turning inward within your own struggle?  We've all done that when we're sick...it's only about us.  It's about how lousy we feel.  We selfishly hoard our energy because we want it all for our own struggle to feel well.

You know what they tell you on the airplane, right?  Those safety demonstrations?  In the event of cabin decompression, they tell you to put on your own oxygen mask before you help someone else.  Good safety tip...until you're so focused on getting your own oxygen that you don't look around to see if anyone else needs help.

My struggle to feel well.  Pam's struggle to feel well.  Independent of each other.  Frustrated and tired of feeling awful most of the time.

Except...we're not independent of each other, Pam and I.  We never have been, since that moment in 2006 when our lives met and intertwined.


One night not too long ago, neither of us could open a jar.  No matter how we tried, we simply could not get the thing open.  Stoopid pickles.

And we started laughing.

It was a moment of extreme silliness.  A moment of high hilarity.  A moment of such sublime ridiculousness.  A complete tension release.  A reminder that even during those times when we were each mired in our own selfish hoarding of energy to be well, we were together.

She and I.  Us.  We.

With love.  In love.  Loving.

The individual challenge.  The singular struggle.  The shared opportunity.

Intertwined.

And...finally...peace.




 Dona Nobis Pacem.


Image credit:  I found the image I used on my Peace Globe at a site called All About Art.  The artist's name is Anna Razumouskaya.